Hyundai Veloster Zombified for The Walking Dead

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Walking Dead Hyundai Veloster Zombie Survival Machine debuts
Equipped with weapons and armorThe car definitely has the fight, but does it have the option of flight? With tons of armor, equipment and metal and sand bags, the 1.6L 138 horsepower hatch is going to need a little more pep to power through hordes of zombies. Other than that this ZSM is one bad portable zombie destroyer. Get at me bro!

@@@@@ While modern cars equipped with substantial aftermarket custom and parts body bits are often deemed feature-worthy, few share company with this one-off creation. Forget what you thought you knew about custom cars, because this Pantera redefines the segment in fact. Every bolt, nut, clip and panel has been replaced or fabricated, making this beauty more rolling artwork than car.

I’ve been fascinated with cars since I was in diapers and was raised in a household with classic cars, since my Dad was a partial owner of a restoration shop, owner, Marc Campolieto said. In the early 80s the shop started doing restoration work on Panteras and that’sOf course we don’t have to tell you how wicked the De Tomaso Pantera is, because as you know, it was designed by American designer Tom Tjaarda and built in Italy at the De Tomaso factory. The steel monocoque design was ahead of its time back in 1971, as was the well-appointed interior with such luxuries as power windows and a cigarette lighter.

What wasn’t quite so cutting edge, though, was the pushrod American V8 that sat behind the driver. Oh yes, for those unaware, the Pantera is a mid-engine it’s and supercar got plenty of grunt thanks to a 5.8L Ford V8 under the bonnet good for 400hp. The 3100 lb rockets were harnessed by a ZF transaxle, and various magazines recorded -60 times of just 5.5sec with a top speed of 160mph. Don’t forget, this is 40 years ago!

Early Panteras were sold at Ford dealers, but after poor reliability and small sales numbers, Ford discontinued its sales partnership in 1975. After Ford dropped the Pantera from showrooms, only a handful of shops imported grey market examples, which meant US production numbers were minimal at best. The final Pantera rolled off the De Tomaso assembly line in 1991, ending the era of a unique supercar with the chassis of a European sports car and the heart of an American hot rod.

I didn’t want just any example, I was looking for a project with a colorful history, Campolieto said, though I’ve owned many nice European cars and currently own an Aston Martin Vantage and a modified Shelby Mustang GT500, and yet the desire for a Pantera never died.Campolieto rescued it with a deposit, just days before Pantera International was to start using the weathered ex-racer as a parts car. A few weeks later he arrived with an empty trailer and started what would become one of the most intense restorations we’ve ever seen.

1972 de tomaso pantera detail
1972 de tomaso pantera battery
1972 de tomaso pantera grill

As they say in the hot-rod industry, it was straight and it was all there – even the remains of a dead bird, he laughed, though It was in rough condition from sitting in the desert for so many years and it lacked an engine and transmission.

Although the road ahead was long, Campolieto set out down the lonely path to renovation with countless nights in the garage and hundreds of hours in labor. The car was painstakingly stripped down to a bare core and then methodically sandblasted to remove blemishes and bits of rust.

Since Panteras are known to have rust problems, the former racer received plenty of attention in the form of POR15 sealant. This amazing stuff actually seals in rust and prevents it from spreading. We’re not just talking about sealing the fender wells either, we’re talking the undercarriage, firewall, interior and anythingpainted, smoothed and sealed in PPG Gloss Black for a show-car touch. Every suspension piece was coated with the shiny stuff before receiving plenty of top-shelf parts like Polygraphite bushings-but more on that later, as for the powdercoat.

After the bare shell was prepped and sealed, it received plenty of chassis stiffening braces on all corners.

The Pantera might have a monocoque construction, but when you run them hard with a powerful motor they can flex quite a bit, so modern chassis stiffening pieces do wonders to brace them up, Campolieto explained.silicone and lines hoses, a thermostatically controlled electric water pump and exterior body mods to help with airflow were added to keep the beast underneath cool.

1972 de tomaso pantera rear engine
1972 de tomaso pantera rear left blur
1972 de tomaso pantera rear left far

Factory Pantera wiring is another weak point on the vintage supercars so Campolieto set out with the same attention-to-detail when rewiring the entire car – yes, the entire car.

I re-did the entire wiring system starting with a master fuse to prevent damage to the harness and circuitRe-engineering the wiring system, even on an older car is no small feat, but it allowed him to run such modern amenities like the Pantera Electronics HID headlights and the aforementioned electronic cooling system modifications.

Now past the point of no return, he had to make the big push to see the car to fruition. It was a massive undertaking that took several years and nearly $130,000, but it was well worth it since I finally built the car of my dreams, Campolieto said.

Like the impeccable underpinnings, the source of motivation is an utter piece of artwork, albeit a powerful one.

I had the Windsor Ford shortblock stroked and bored to 408 cubic inches (that’s almost 6.7L), filled with forged internals like Keith Black pistons, a TrickFlow cam, RHS heads ported by MadCap Racing Engines and topped with a ported Victor Jr intake manifold and a Holley 750 carburetor, he explained.

When fired by the MSD ignition and hooked to the custom PI Motorsports headers and exhaust system the big beast is good for 500 and 587hp lb-ft at the crank. He’s also plumbed a 125hp shot of nitrous that’s fed by two giant bottles mounted inside the engine compartment if that’s not enough.rare and ultra wide 17×10 front and 17×13 rear Boyd Coddington wheels. On the deck lid you’ll find a custom LED third brake light and the patented sugar scoop synonymous with the De Tomaso Pantera. Another touch of class came in the form of ram-air ducts that took the place of the rear quarter glass, oh yeah, they’re functional too.

Life on the inside of this rocket is also out of this world thanks to plenty of A-grade craftsmanship, especially the leather wrapped and contrast stitched dash and console reworked by Auto Weave. Of course only a keen eye would catch such details as Corvette C4 seats, the factory gauges painstakingly rebuilt by Redline and filled with VDO internals along with the Ford Taurus window motor conversion and the array of new-old-stock switches, buttons and accessoriesmodern and tidy, so I mixed modern touches like the dash and console treatment with the reworked original gauges and the other period-correct pieces, Campolieto said.

After a multi-year restoration with countless hours invested and a serious pile of cash spent, we can safely say that no bolt, nut, clip or the like went untouched during the flawless rebuild. The proof is in the pudding because not only was it perfectly executed, but it was also tastefully done, there’s no way around it.So what makes the E90 sedan so special? It’s the retina-popping Dakar Yellow. First introduced on the E36 M3 in 1994/95, the paint is only available now on special order through BMW Individual at great expense. According to the previous owner, this is the only Dakar Yellow M3 Sedan in the country, and he should know because it was specially ordered for the owner of BMW of Fremont in Northern California. Apparently, he drove it less than 400 miles before deciding the car wasn’t right for him, which is where Felix entered the picture.

There are a number of Dakar Yellow E92 M3 Coupes in the US but this is said to be the only four-door. I’ve even heard it might be the only one in the world but have been unable to verify that, he continued.

03 2011 BMW m3 platte forme carbon side skirt extensions
04 2011 BMW m3 auxillary stack gauges
06 2011 BMW m3 akrapovic evolution exhaust

A supercharger conversion was under consideration before the car was even purchased, smitten with its good looks and determined to build something with genuine speed.

In fact, Felix drove it back from Fremont to Los Angeles and straight down to San Diego. With less than 1000 miles on the clock, HG Motorsports installed an ESS VT2-600 supercharger kit that would later dyno at 555hp at the wheels.

This would be helped by the full Akrapovic Evolution exhaust system with X-pipes, 100-cell sports cats and rear mufflers. Constructed from featherweight titanium it reduces mass and improves output. In fact, the company claims approximately 20hp from this product.

The ESS blower can’t be overlooked though. It comes with bigger injectors, liquid intercooler and the necessary software. By requesting the cast intake manifold with its integrated head exchanger be painted the same Dakar Yellow, but Felix took it one stage further.The calipers were custom-painted by C&C Collision in Pasadena, CA in his favorite yellow before the gargantuan 380mm rotors were fitted all round.gills, badging and grilles, IND found a big box for its carbon fiber roof panel that would be fitted by C&C, as well as sending gloss black kidney grilles.

The bodyshop had to cut out the metal roof, since only the Coupes have a carbon roof from the factory, and replace it with the new panel. It took about a week to finish the task, after which an alcantara headliner was added to match the BMW M Performance seats, specially imported from Germany by Renn Spec in La Puente, CA.

BMW M Performance was also responsible for the carbon trunk spoiler and carbonIf he’s reached the end of his journey, felix feels as, however. There’s really not much more I could do to it, he reflected. But I’ll definitely keep it. Even when I buy the F30 M3, this one will be in the garage for special occasions.